Amid pressure, bailout critic is new Greek finance minister

January 27, 2015 7:15 PM

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ATHENS, Greece Greece's new left-wing prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, picked an outspoken bailout critic as his new finance minister Tuesday, signaling his resolve to take a tough line with eurozone lenders in an effort to write off a massive chunk of rescue debt.

Economist Yanis Varoufakis, 53 — who has described the bailout as "fiscal waterboarding" — took up the position amid a rating agency warning of a worsening financial situation that sent the country's stock market sharply lower.